Linen A fabric made from plant fibers. In the Book of Mormon linen is always described as either “fine” or “fine-twined,” and if often cited as a sign of prosperity and pride among the Nephites (2 Ne. 13:23; Mosiah 10;5; Alma 1:29; 4:6; Hel. 6:13). It was characteristic of the great and abominable church as described by Nephi1 (1 Ne. 13:7, 8). The Jaredites had linen as well (Ether 9:17; 10:24).

Usually “linen” is a term used to describe a cloth made from the pounded fibers of the cultivated flax plant Linum usitatissimum. This flax was grown throughout the ancient world, especially in Egypt. There is currently no evidence that cultivated flax was grown in the Americas in Book of Mormon times, though several wild species are native. It is possible that the Jaredites and/or Nephites could have brought domestic flax with them, or perhaps the word linen in the Book of Mormon is describing cloths made from the fibers of native plants. For example, a fiber called henequen, from the leaf of the agave plant, and a cloth made form the bark of the fig tree were common in Mesoamerica.